The drug, suzetrigine, made by Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals and to be sold as Journavx, works only on nerves outside the brain, blocking pain signals. It cannot get into the brain. The post FDA approves drug from Boston-based company to treat pain without opioid effects appeared first on Boston.

The drug represents a new pathway to treating people with pain due to surgeries or traumatic injuries, avoiding the addictive risks of opioids.

The prescription pills, sold under the brand name Journavx and made by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, are taken twice a day and represent the first new class of pain medications in 20 years—and the first non-opioid painkiller since that class first appeared on the market in the 1980s.